Includes bibliographical references (pages 279-280) and index.
Contents:
"Caught and . . . Chained" -- "By the Way, He Always Paid for His Cheese and Crackers" -- They Had "Never Seen a Mother and Sister over a Washtub as I Had" -- "This Is the Only Way to Get That Woman off Our Necks" -- "I'll Get It for You" -- "I Told 'Em to Go to Hell" -- "Well, We Just Turned On the Light and Sat and Looked at Each Other" -- "Greetings" -- "With Electricity, They Have a New Life" -- "Either We All Hang Together, or We Will Hang Separately. And on Nylon Ropes" -- "If They Had Known at That Point How Long Was the Road Ahead, the Seven Ranchers Might Have Given Up" -- "The Damned Thing Works!" -- "We Always Managed to Ship Off the Young and Able" -- "We Have to Get Larger" -- "The Folks Sent a Message, and the Lawmakers Responded" -- "We Haven't Been Very Good at Reaching Out" -- "I May Get Shocked Instead of Light When I Go Home" -- "It's No More Business as Usual" -- "No One Was Minding the Store Except the General Manager, and No One Was Minding the General Manager" -- "I Have Seen Many Great Changes, Too Many to Mention" -- "Who Set Up This System, and Who Perpetuated It?" -- "The Greatest Thing on Earth Is to Have the Love of God in Your Heart, and the Next Greatest Thing Is to Have Electricity in Your House."
Summary:
"According to author Joe Holley, the story of the Texas Electric Cooperatives, a collective of some 76 member-owned electric providers throughout the state, is a story of neighborliness and community, grit and determination, and persuasion and political savvy. It's the story of a grassroots movement that not only energized rural Texas but also showed residents the power they have when they band together to find strength in unity. Opening with the coming of electricity to Texas' major cities at the turn of the twentieth century, Power: How the Electric Co-op Movement Energized the Lone Star State describes the dramatic differences between urban and rural life. Though the major cities of Texas were marvels of nighttime brilliance, the countryside remained as dark as it had been for centuries before. It was not economical for the startup electrical companies to provide service to far-flung rural areas, so they were forced to do without. Beginning with the New Deal-era efforts of Sam Rayburn, Lyndon Johnson, and others, Holley chronicles the birth and development of the electric cooperative movement in Texas, including the 1935 federal act that created the Rural Electrification Administration. Holley concludes with the devastation wrought by Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 and the intense debate that continues around climate resilience and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), overseer of the state's electric grid, all of which has profound implications for rural electric cooperatives who receive their allocations according to procedures administered by ERCOT. Power is sure to enlighten, entertain, and energize readers and policymakers alike"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.